rooibos brew time and temps?

I just started trying rooibos teas. I have the sampler and some individual samples. The little cans have different brew times and temperatures. Some are 180 degrees for 7 minutes, one is 212 degrees for 6 minutes, one is 212 degrees for 7 minutes. I thought rooibos was to be brewed with boiling water. The 180 degree labels say herbal on them, but I thought in general herbal teas use boiling water?

ilya wrote:Sad to say that all this confusion (you're not the first) is because we goofed when we printed the herbal lables. The true temperature should be 212. We will be correcting it with the next reprinting.

Aaaaaaargh. I just gave away a 4oz tin of the stuff that I'd only had two cups out of, because I couldn't get it to taste like anything at the temperature on the label. Damn.

javyn wrote:You can never use water too hot, or steep rooibos too long. It just gets better and better.

+1

I just use boiling water and let it steep till it looks nice and dark.

Luvpink wrote:How many teaspoons of Rooibos leaves and how much water do i use? I used a teaspoon per 80z. cup water and it was to weak.... what do some of you use?

in my 16 oz I use about 1 tablespoon or so. I actually just pore some in till it looks right so maybe 1 and a half tablespoons? so for an 8oz it be similar just use boiling water and brew it for LOOONG time. I usually let it sit 7 to 10 minutes

Hmm... Rooibos. And to think I was turned off of 'red tea' due to a poor mixture that tasted like cherry cough syrup. Tangenting aside, I've found that a longer but colder steep earns an equally rewarding cup that has an odd edge that seems like its own spice, reminding me of pepper mixed with an earthy tone rather than the spicy bite from pepper corns. I usually get this just above 180 degrees when my kettle starts sizzling (average temperature is around 190-195, not exactly precise to be honest) and left to sit for around 10-12 minutes depending upon how deep I wish the flavor to be. This colder temperature is almost noteworthy as it has heightened my flavored rooibos, namely the Jasmine, and brings it to full flush like a normal jasmine tea would but without the caffeine and other agents. If you enjoy the normal brewing methods please experiment with the temperature as not every tea is at its best when brewed according to the sampler's label. The again, I'm the type who likes to steep an Earl Grey for 15 minutes at around 140 degrees just to have a wonderfully dark, temperamental cup of a suffused black tea that lacks the bitter that would show if brewed a mere 10 degrees warmer.

I drink copious amounts of rooibus every day, and it's funny, with that tea, I've never had a bad cup.

Sometimes the water is boiling, sometimes it isn't (I have a now-failing Japanese hot pot that is supposed to keep the water at exactly 212 but has long since decided not to be consistent about this) (it needs to be replaced, no doubt about it).

I use tea leaves first thing in the morning, but for the rest of the day I just use a tea bag, and therein lies the real joy of rooibos: I can return at the end of a day to a cold cup of rooibos from morning, with the bag still in the cup, and it tastes great. It NEVER gets bitter. Best tea ever.

The ability to brew it for a long period of time and yet not have it taste bad is one of my favorite features of rooibos as well. I've accidentally left a pot of Adagio's rooibos almond brewing for over two hours and it wound up tasting very dark and malty, but it was a really nice taste. It's nice to have such a forgiving drink. (Caveat: I don't like really hot tea, so I have to admit I probably brew "wrong" in that I brew my rooiboses at 180 rather than brewing at a boil and leaving it to cool before I drink it. But it's very forgiving and still tastes good anyway!)